Myanmar

Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since February 2021 when a military coup ousted her elected government.

The 76-year-old Nobel laureate has been charged with a raft of criminal offences including voter fraud.

She denies all of the accusations and rights groups have condemned the court trials as a sham.

The closed-door hearings in the capital Nay Pyi Taw have been shut to the public and media, and Suu Kyi's lawyers forbidden from speaking to journalists.

Suu Kyi looked in good health and held a face-to-face meeting with her legal team for about 30 minutes before the hearing, lawyer Thae Maung Maung said.

Suu Kyi, 75, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her efforts to build democracy, is among more than 4000 people detained since the coup. She faces charges that range from illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios to violating a state secrets law.

At least 91 deaths, including children, were recorded by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring group.

"They are killing us like birds or chickens, even in our homes," resident Thu Ya Zaw told Reuters news agency in the central town of Myingyan.

"We will keep protesting regardless."

The lethal crackdown came as protesters defied warnings and took to the streets on the annual Armed Forces Day.

US, UK and EU officials condemned the violence, with British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab calling it a "new low".

The ousted leader appeared to be in "good health" and asked to see her legal team, her lawyers say.

Two new charges were announced against Ms Suu Kyi, who was arrested after the 1 February coup.

Meanwhile, protesters took to the streets again despite Sunday seeing the deadliest day yet with 18 killed.

The deaths came as the military and police ramped up their response to demonstrations across the South East Asian nation over the weekend, firing into the crowds.

Military TV said a state of emergency had been declared for one year and power transferred.

The coup comes after tensions rose between the civilian government and the military following a disputed election.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the military until democratic reforms began in 2011.

The military said on Monday it was handing power to commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing because of "election fraud". Soldiers are on the streets of the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and the main city, Yangon.

Police officer Maung Maung Yin said the monk was stopped on Sunday as he drove in northern Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh.

Authorities had been tipped off that the monk was carrying an illegal haul.

Maung Maung Yin said an anti-drug task force found 400,000 pills in the monk's car.

A subsequent search of his monastery turned up 4.2 million pills along with a grenade and ammunition.

A statement from the office of Myanmar's leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, said that one million kyats (NZD$1000) in cash was also found in the vehicle.

In its interim report, the commission also said there was not enough evidence to support widespread rape allegations.

It did not mention claims that security forces had been killing people.

There have been repeated allegations of abuses of Rohingya people since a military counter-insurgency campaign was launched in Rakhine in October.

The government said the incident, filmed by a police officer, happened in the restive Rakhine state in November.

There have been repeated allegations of abuses against the Muslim minority in Rakhine, with some saying the state's actions amount to ethnic cleansing.

Officials have previously said security forces are following the rule of law.

The state is closed to journalists and investigators, making it difficult to independently verify the allegations.

Armed forces have been killing Rohingya in Rakhine state, forcing many to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, says John McKissick of the UN refugee agency.

The government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been conducting counter-insurgency operations since coordinated attacks on border guards in October.

It denies reports of atrocities.

A spokesman said the government was "very, very disappointed" by the comments.

The news came as Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, arrived in Washington on her first official visit.

Myanmar's access to trade benefits for poorer nations had been suspended in 1989 over human rights abuses.

President Obama said the country should now be allowed to benefit from preferential tariffs as it emerges from decades of military rule.

He confirmed the move in a letter to Congress on Wednesday, adding Myanmar - also known as Burma - to the Generalised System of Preferences, a list which exempts certain countries from high import taxes.